Gerald Gardner was not the only person claiming to be a member of a surviving remnant of old European witchcraft. Others such as Sybil Leek, Charles Cardell, Raymond Howard, Rolla Nordic and, Robert Cochrane also claimed to have been initiated by their ancestors and to be following "Hereditary" or "Traditional" forms of witchcraft.[5] They alleged Gardner was propagating a modern, less true form of witchcraft. For a time, there were attempts to reconcile and unite all the emerging traditions of the 1950s.

The acclaimed expert on witchcraft, Professor Ronald Hutton, notes that modern pagan witchcraft is "the only religion which England has ever given the world".[6]

Following its establishment abroad, Gardnerianism was brought to the U.S. in the early 1960s[7] by English initiate Raymond Buckland and his then-wife Rosemary, who together founded a coven in Long Island.[3][8][9] In the U.S., numerous new variants of Wicca then developed.[7]

Due to the secrecy prevalent among Witches (and Pagans as a whole), establishing exact numbers pertaining to witchcraft is difficult.[10] Nevertheless, there is a slow growing body of data on the subject.[11]

Note: the nature of the community makes it impossible to fully separate Witches from non-Witch Pagans in most statistics, thus the entire Pagan community is the most basic group of consideration when looking at the whole community.

There are numerous traditions present in contemporary witchcraft. Traditions may be defined by the systems and practices within or simply by initiatory lineage. Some are based in specific cultural belief systems; others are more diverse. Currents or movements are broader approaches which may be incorporated in other traditions or individual Witches' practice. However, while many do, not all Witches follow any specific tradition or movement. Many are solitary and/or eclectic practitioners.

WiccaEnglish pronunciation:/ˈwɪkə/ is a modern paganreligion that draws upon a diverse set of ancient pagan religious motifs for its theological structure and ritual practice. The religion usually incorporates the practice of witchcraft. Developed in England in the first half of the 20th century,[14] Wicca was later popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by Gerald Gardner.[3] Gardner was a retired British civil servant, and an amateur anthropologist and historian who had a broad familiarity with pagan religions, esoteric societies and occultism in general. At the time Gardner called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft", and referred to its adherents as "the Wica".[15] From the 1960s onward, the name of the religion was normalised to "Wicca".[16]

Wicca is traditionally and primarily a duotheistic religion centred upon the idea of genderpolarity and the worship of a Moon Goddess and a Horned God. (This core theology was originally described by Gerald Gardner, the founder of the religion; and Doreen Valiente, who wrote most of the original liturgical materials.) The Goddess and the God may be regarded as the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine. They are complementary opposites, similar to the ideas of Yin and yang in Taoism. The God and Goddess are generally seen as lovers and equals, the Divine Couple who together co-create the cosmos. (See Wiccan views of divinity.)

Wicca also involves the ritual practice of magic, ranging from the "low magic" or "folk magic" of shamanism and witchcraft to more elaborate and complex rites influenced by the ceremonial magic of Western Hermetic Tradition. Wiccans frequently subscribe to a broad code of morality known as the Wiccan Rede. Another characteristic of Wiccan religion is the ritual celebration of the lunar and solar cycles. Lunar rites, known as esbats are usually held around the time of the full moon; but they may also be held at the new moon, or the waxing or waning moon. The solar or seasonal festivals, known as sabbats take place eight times a year, in regular intervals known as the Wheel of the Year. While both the God and the Goddess are usually honoured at both kinds of rituals, the Goddess is mainly associated with the Moon, and the God is mainly associated with the Sun.

Wicca is primarily an initiatorymystery religion, with only initiates of legitimate Wiccan covens being able to fully practice. Whilst there are numerous traditions (denominations) within Wicca, this is the norm throughout Traditional Wicca—such as with the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions. Within the general Pagan community, people who practice Wicca without being formally and traditionally initiated are called "Neo-Wiccans".

Wicca does not have an equivalent concept to the Christian Devil nor moral sin. Individuals are believed to be responsible for their actions, with no external force truly capable of violating their free will.

Gardnerian Wicca, or Gardnerian witchcraft, is the oldest tradition of Wicca. The tradition is itself named after Gerald Gardner (1884–1964). Gardner formed the Bricket Wood coven and in turn initiated many Witches who founded further covens, continuing the initiation of more Wiccans in the tradition. The term "Gardnerian" was probably coined by the founder of Cochranian Witchcraft, Robert Cochrane in the 1950s or 60s, who himself left that tradition to found his own.[17]

Alexandrian Wicca is the tradition founded by Alex Sanders (also known as "King of the Witches"[18]) who, with his wife Maxine Sanders, established it in Britain in the 1960s. Alexandrian Wicca is similar in many ways to and largely based upon Gardnerian Wicca, in which Sanders was trained to the first degree of initiation.[19] It also contains elements of ceremonial magic and Qabalah, which Sanders studied independently. It is considered one of Wicca's most widely recognized traditions.[20] The name of the tradition is a reference both to Alex Sanders and to the ancient occult library of Alexandria.

Neo-Wicca (i.e. 'New Wicca') is a category or movement distinguished primarily from traditionalWicca in that it is composed of individuals and organizations who identify as "Wiccan" but do not descend from any traditional lineage (such as that of Gardnerian or Alexandrian Wicca). Traditional Wicca requires individuals be formally initiated into established covens. 'Self-initiation' or dedication, which is common in Neo-Wicca, is not accepted in traditional Wicca.[21]Dianic Wicca and Seax-Wicca are two prominent examples of Neo-Wicca.

Much of the publicly available material on Wicca (in books and websites) is NeoWiccan, as traditional 'inner court' Wiccan material is oathbound and not publicly available.[21]

While the origins of modern Wiccan practice lie in coven activity and the careful handing on of practices to a small number of initiates, since the 1970s a widening public appetite made this unsustainable. From about that time larger, more informal, often publicly advertised camps and workshops began to take place and it has been argued [22] that this more informal but more accessible method of passing on the tradition is responsible for the rise of eclectic Wicca. Eclectic Wiccans are more often than not solitary practitioners. Some of these solitaries do, however, attend gatherings and other community events, but reserve their spiritual practices (Sabbats, Esbats, spell-casting, worship, magical work, etc.) for when they are alone. Eclectic Wicca is the most popular variety of Wicca in America[23] and eclectic Wiccans now significantly outnumber lineaged Wiccans; their beliefs and practices tend to be much more varied.[24]

Stregheria is an Italian American based form of witchcraft, claimed to be rooted in Etruscan religion. Just as the term "Wicca" is rooted in the Old English for "Witch", the word stregheria is an archaic Italian word for "witchcraft". The most used word in the past and in modern Italian is in fact stregoneria.[25] Stregheria is also referred to as La Vecchia Religione ("the Old Religion"),[26] however its most frequent contemporary usage indicates a form of ethnic Italian Italian witchcraft originating in the United States as popularized by Raven Grimassi since the 1980s. Grimassi formerly taught what he called the Aridian tradition. In this tradition he openly incorporated elements of Gardnerian Wicca with elements of Italian witchcraft and lore.

Stregheria honors a pantheon centred on the Roman Diana, her twin brother Apollo, and their daughter Aradia. Other practitioners worship the god aspect as Lucifer/Hesperus, a benevolent god of the Sun and Moon in no way connected to the Christian Satan. Stregheria also celebrates a series of eight festivals in the Wheel of the Year, though most commonly with Roman leanings and practises.

Among the distinguishing features of the Feri tradition is the use of a specific Feri power or energetic current.[27] Feri witches often see themselves as "fey": outside social definitions and intentionally living within paradox. They believe that much of reality is unseen, or at least has uncertain boundaries. Within the tradition there is a deep respect for the wisdom of nature, a love of beauty, and an appreciation of bardic and mantic creativity.

Core teachings acknowledged by most branches of the tradition include the concepts of the Three Souls and the Black Heart of Innocence, the tools of the Iron and Pearl Pentacle (now also used by the Reclaiming community), as well as an awareness of "energy ecology", which admonishes practitioners to never give away or waste their personal power. Trance experiences and personal connection to the Divine are at the heart of this path, leading to a wide variety of practices throughout the larger body of the tradition.

Despite many similarities to Wicca, especially in the ritual structures and tools used, members of Feri do not consider Feri a tradition of Wicca. There are Wiccan groups and traditions who call themselves "Fairy" (Faerie, Faery, etc.), but adherents of Feri consider these to be distinct from the Feri Tradition.[28][29]

I am a witch descended from a family of witches. Genuine witchcraft is not paganism, though it retains the memory of ancient faiths.

It is a religion mystical in approach and puritanical in attitudes. It is the last real mystery cult to survive, with a very complex and evolved philosophy that has strong affinities with many Christian beliefs. The concept of a sacrificial god was not new to the ancient world; it is not new to a witch.

Roy Bowers, a.k.a. Robert Cochrane (1931–1966), founded "Cochrane's Craft", a form of traditional witchcraft, in opposition to Gardnerian Wicca. Cochrane's Clan of Tubal Cain worshipped a Horned God and a Triple Goddess, much akin to Gerald Gardner's Bricket Wood Coven. Cochrane himself disliked Gardner and his take on Wicca, and often ridiculed him and his Craft.[31] Whilst the Cochran Tradition uses ritual tools, they differ somewhat from those used by Gardnerians, some being the ritual knife (known as an athamé), a staff (known as a stang), a cup (or commonly a chalice), a stone (used as a whetstone to sharpen the athame), and a ritual cord worn by coven members.[32]

At a gathering at Glastonbury Tor held by the Brotherhood of the Essenes in 1964, Cochrane met Doreen Valiente, who had formerly been a High Priestess of Gardner's Bricket Wood Coven.[33] The two became friends, and Valiente joined the Clan of Tubal Cain. Cochrane often insulted and mocked Gardnerian witches, which annoyed Valiente. This reached an extreme in that even at one point in 1966 he called for "a Night of the Long Knives of the Gardnerians", at which point Doreen "rose up and challenged him in the presence of the rest of the coven."[34] Shortly after Valiente's departure, Cochrane's wife Jean also left, and the Coven soon ceased to function.

Cochrane is often credited with originating the term "Gardnerian" as a derogatory description of Gardner's Wicca; however, his published letter terms it as "Gardnerism".[35][36]

Some were inspired by Cochrane's work and from the many letters he wrote to fellow occultists, to form Traditions such as Roebuck, Tubal Cain, and 1734. Some practitioners of Hedgecraft also follow a Cochrane based practice.

Hedge witchcraft, Hedgecraft, or Hedge-riding is an approach to witchcraft focusing on shamanic experience and varying degrees of herbalism.[37] It is said to be derived from the Old English term Haegtesse, an Old English word that translates to "hedge rider".[38]

The "hedge" in Hedgecraft signifies the boundary between this world and the Otherworlds. Hedge-riding is the act of crossing this "hedge" or boundary en trance and interacting with the spirits of the other side.[37]

Sabbatic craft, a term coined by Andrew D. Chumbley, is described as "an initiatory line of spirit-power that can inform all who are receptive to its impetus, and which – when engaged with beyond names – may be understood as a Key unto the Hidden Design of Arte."[43] Chumbley sometimes referred to the Nameless Faith,[44]Crooked Path, and Via Tortuosa.[43][45] He reserved "Sabbatic Craft" as a unifying term to refer to the "convergent lineages"[43] of the "Cultus Sabbati," a body of traditional witchcraft initiates.[45] The Sabbatic craft is a path of traditional witchcraft.

Chumbley's works and those of Daniel Schulke on the Cultus Sabbati's "ongoing tradition of sorcerous wisdom"[44] continue to serve as the prototypical reference works. The craft is not an ancient, pre-Christian tradition surviving into the modern age. It is a tradition rooted in "cunning-craft," a patchwork of older magical practice and later Christian mythology.

‘Sabbatic Craft’ describes a corpus of magical practices which self-consciously utilize the imagery and mythos of the "Witches' Sabbath" as a cipher of ritual, teaching and gnosis. This is not the same as saying that one practises the self-same rituals in the self-same manner as the purported early modern "witches" or historically attested cunning folk, rather it points toward the fact that the very mythos which had been generated about both "witches" and their "ritual gatherings" has been appropriated and re-orientated by contemporary successors of cunning-craft observance, and then knowingly applied for their own purposes.

In his grimoireAzoëtia, Chumbley incorporated diverse iconography from ancient Sumerian, Egyptian, Yezidi, and Aztec cultures.[45] He spoke of a patchwork of ancestral and tutelary spirit folklore which he perceived amidst diverse "Old Craft" traditions in Britain as "a gnostic faith in the Divine Serpent of Light, in the Host of the Gregori, in the Children of Earth sired by the Watchers, in the lineage of descent via Lilith, Mahazael, Cain, Tubal-cain, Naamah, and the Clans of the Wanderers."[43] Schulke believed that folk and cunning-crafts of Britain absorbed multicultural elements from "Freemasonry, Bible divination, Romany charms, and other diverse streams,"[45] what Chumbley called "dual-faith observance," referring to a "co-mingling of ‘native’ forms of British magic and Christianity".[45]

Kitchen witchcraft, kitchen witchery or sometimes hearth witchery (a term popularised by Anna Franklin in her book Hearth Witch), is a form of witchcraft practiced concurrently with tasks centred around the kitchen, such as cooking and baking. Like other forms of witchcraft, kitchen witchcraft concerns the practice of magic which may or may not be combined with other forms of spirituality.[46]